October 2011
Tentative Agreement Meeting Schedule
Below is a listing of meetings for members to hear the particulars of and ask questions about the new Tentative Agreement. Meetings will be added to this list as they are set up so check back often.
Sci. & Eng. and Tech Meetings to Discuss the Tentative Agreement
Downtown – Williams Auditorium in the Williams Building
Wednesday, November 2nd at 12:00 is intended for DEQ and MDA employees (Chapters 15, 16, 17, and 21).
Thursday, November 3rd at 12:00 is intended for MDOT and all other Departments downtown (Chapters 11, 13, 14, and 26)
Lansing – Agriculture Lab – Wednesday, November 16th, Agriculture Lab on Harrison, Carr Conference Room, 12:00 noon
Lansing – Community Health Lab (Chapter 10) – Tuesday, November 15th, Pizzano’s 1825 N Grand River, Lansing 5:30 PM with dinner served at 6:00 PM
Lansing – Secondary Complex – Thursday, November 10th – Secondary Complex, C & T North Conference Rm., 8885 Ricks Rd., Dimondale, 11:45 a.m.
Out-state
Cadillac – Wednesday, November 9th – Lakeside Inn, 301 S. Lake Mitchell Drive in Cadillac, 5:30 p.m.
Detroit – Cadillac Place (Chapter 22), Monday, November 14th – 11:30 am. It is the conference room closest to the main (West Grand) entrance of our building.
Detroit – Metro (Chapter 19), Thursday, November 10th – Crash Landing 26620 Dequindre Road, Warren, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Gaylord – Tuesday, November 8th – B.J’s, 990 N. Center Ave., Gaylord, 6:00 p.m.
Grand Rapids – Thursday, November 17th – Rio Grande Steakhouse, 5501 Northland Dr. NE, Grand Rapids, 5:30 p.m.
Jackson/Ann Arbor – Tuesday, November 22nd – Steaks Eatery, 4243 Oaklane Road, Jackson, 5:30 p.m.
Kalamazoo/Plainwell – Wednesday, November 16th – Fricano’s, 7454 North 6th Street in Alamo, 5:30 p.m.
Saginaw/Midland/Bay City – Monday, November 21st – Krzysiak House, 1605 Michigan Avenue, Bay City, 6:00 p.m.
U.P. – Baraga – Monday, November 28th – Best Western Baraga Lakeside Inn, 900 S. US-41, Baraga, 6:00 p.m.
U.P. – Gwinn – Tuesday, November 29th – Sawyer Services Center, 12:00 Noon.
U.P. – Curtis – Tuesday, November 29th – Chamberlin’s Ole Forest Inn, N9450 Hwy 33, Curtis, 6:00 p.m.
Warren – Tuesday, November 15th – SE Michigan Office, Main Conference Room, 12:00 noon
HSS Meeting Schedule to Discuss Tentative Agreement
| Monday, 11/7/11 | 11:00 a.m. | UIA | Meeting | Grand Rapids Pro – 3391 A Plainfield Ave. NE |
| 1:00 p.m. | UIA | Meeting | Grand Rapids RICC – 1 Division NW | |
| 2:00 p.m. | UIA | Meeting | Grand Rapids RICC – 1 Division NW | |
| Tuesday, 11/08/11 | 10:00 a.m. | UIA | Meeting | Detroit Cadillac Place – 3024 W. Grand Blvd, Room |
| 11:00 a.m. | DHS | Meeting | Kalamazoo – 151 S. Rose | |
| 1:00 p.m. | DHS | Meeting | Kalamazoo – 151 S. Rose | |
| Wednesday, 11/09/11 | 10:00 a.m. | DHS | Meeting | Lansing – 608 W. Allegan |
| 10:00 a.m. | DHS & WDA | Conf Call | Traverse City | |
| 11:00 a.m. | UIA | Meeting | Lansing Pro – 5015 S Cedar Street | |
| 11:00 a.m. | UIA | Meeting | Saginaw Pro – 614 Johnson Street | |
| 1:00 p.m. | UIA | Meeting | Lansing Call Center – 4300 W. Saginaw | |
| 1:00 p.m. | UIA | Meeting | Saginaw RICC – 999 W. Washington | |
| 2:00 p.m. | UIA | Meeting | Lansing Call Center – 4300 W. Saginaw | |
| 2:00 p.m. | UIA | Meeting | Saginaw RICC – 999 W. Washington | |
| Thursday, 11/10/11 | 10:00 a.m. | UIA | Meeting | Detroit Cadillac Place – 3024 W. Grand Blvd. Room |
| 11:00 a.m. | MRS & Vets& Deaf Int | Conf Call | N/A | |
| 1:00 p.m. | UIA | Meeting | Detroit Cadillac Place – 3024 W. Grand Blvd. Room | |
| 1:00 p.m. | MRS & Vets | Conf Call | N/A |
School Employee Pension Changes Coming
Gongwer: October 28, 2011
MOSS: SCHOOL EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT BENEFITS NEXT
As major changes to retiree benefits for state employees moved forward Thursday, Rep. Chuck Moss, House Appropriations Committee chair, said the Michigan Public School Employees Retirement System is in even worse shape and changes are coming.
“We’re going to have to address it for the school employees as well,” Mr. Moss (R-Birmingham) said.
Kurt Weiss, spokesperson for the Department of Technology, Management and Budget, said the unfunded liability on the MPSERS pension system is $17.6 billion. That’s about double the size of the unfunded liability for the state employee’s system.
But unlike the system for state employees, the problem with MPSERS debt is that it falls on local school districts and is eating up their budgets, Mr. Moss said.
“People need to know that this can’t go on,” he said. “We can’t crush our school districts with this debt.”
He said that every penny saved by potential changes would go to the classrooms and current teachers.
“These are things that should have been addressed years and years ago, and it falls to our watch to do it,” he said.
Mr. Moss said he was not ready to discuss specifics of what those changes would look like, but he would use the same language to discuss it as he did the with the state retirees system.
“We have to cap the liability, and pay down the debt,” Mr. Moss said.
That has Democrats and union officials worried that the GOP’s plan will be one that would no longer offer retirement benefits to new teachers, and instead enroll them in a 401k system.
Rep. Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods) said she thinks what the GOP did to state workers will be the blueprint going forward for teachers.
“I took that to mean, ‘we’re getting the rest of you next,’” she said.
Michigan Education Association spokesperson Doug Pratt said legislators in recent years have already made major changes to the system by instating a graded premium and establishing a hybrid plan for new hires last year.
Mr. Weiss said school employees hired before July 1, 2008, contribute about 4 percent of their pay toward the retirement system. Those hired after that date contribute up to 6.4 percent of pay.
Mr. Pratt said education is a profession that is clearly under attack by this Legislature, and all that teachers have been forced to pay more or give things up, making it harder for them to get by and discouraging people from entering the field.
It was unclear how soon the committee would begin work on the issue, and Mr. Moss said it would be ambitious to have it finished by the end of the year.
America Wants to Work Rally in Kalamazoo
RALLY IN KALAMAZOO ON TUESDAY NOV 1ST!!
Tell Rep. Fred Upton: We Need Jobs, Not Cuts!!!!
WHAT: Rally calling on U.S. Rep. Fred Upton to push for more jobs, not more cuts as member of Congressional Super Committee
WHO: Local workers, community leaders
WHEN: Tuesday, Nov 1st, 5:00-6:30 pm
WHERE: Upton District Office, 157 S. Kalamazoo Mall
WHY: Michigan needs jobs now, not more cuts to vital public services like Social Security and Medicare. We need our leaders to focus on creating good jobs that pay a fair wage. The “Super Committee” needs to address the Deficit by asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share and closing tax loopholes for big Corporations NOT by cutting jobs and vital services or cutting the pay and pensions of middle class!
State Employee Tentative Agreement Summary
SEIU Local 517M Final Tentative Agreement Summary
1/1/2012 – 12/31/2014
Wages
FY 2013:
Base Wage: Effective on October 1, 2012 a 1% increase in base wage.
Lump Sum: Effective October 1, 2012: A one-time lump sum cash payment equal to 1% of the annualized base hourly rate of pay in effect as of October 2, 2012, which shall not be rolled into the base.
FY 2014:
Lump Sum: Effective October 1, 2013: A one-time lump sum cash payment equal to 1% of the annualized base hourly rate of pay in effect as of October 2, 2013, which shall not be rolled into the base.
Health Insurance
Employees hired prior to 4/1/2010: First full pay period in October 2012, move to 80-20 premium sharing for State Health Plan PPO and 85-15 for HMOs capped at the dollar amount the State would pay for the same level of coverage under the State Health Plan PPO.
Employees Hired after 4/1/2010: No Changes.
The plan design, deductibles, and co-pays remain unchanged for both State Health Plan PPO and New Hire State Health Plan PPO and HMOs.
Overtime
Annual Leave hours will no longer be considered hours of work for purposes of calculating overtime. Currently sick leave hours are not considered hours worked. All other paid leave is considered work time (Administrative, Holiday, BLT, Comp Time.)
New Solutions
The parties recognize the importance of labor management cooperation and collaboration in providing more efficient delivery of services. The parties agree to approach the Coalition of Unions’ New Solutions Report with the goal of facilitating development of positive programs related to effective use of resources which may include self-directed work teams or other empowerment initiatives. Lean optimizations and practices relying on joint participation between employees and management is included and a committee to explore innovative solutions. The committee would determine the meeting schedule and agenda. The parties agree on the value of utilizing outside independent facilitators trained in business lean practices and will explore funding alternatives to engage mutually agreed upon lean consultants.
Joint Healthcare Committee
During the 2011 negotiations, the parties discussed the mutual goal of designing and implementing health care plans, including ancillary plans, that effectively manage costs and that work to keep members healthy. To that end, the Employer and the Unions will convene a Joint Healthcare Committee (the “Committee”) whose charges will include, among other things: an analysis of current plan performance identifying opportunities for improvement; and to investigate potential savings opportunities from re-contracting pharmacy or other carrier contracts.
As mutually agreed by the parties, independent subject matter experts and consultants may be called upon to assist the Committee in carrying out their charges.
Within 30 days of the effective date of the Agreement, each union shall appoint a representative to serve on the Committee and the Employer shall designate up to four representatives. The Committee will be jointly chaired by a representative designated by OSE and a representative designated by the Unions.
Summary of Changes to Contract Language
All units kept language for no more than six temporary layoff days.
Human Services Support unit
- Enhanced contract language clarifying the appropriate procedure for members to submit confidential medical documentation to avoid breach of confidentiality of these types of records;
- Streamlined grievance process in order to resolve labor disputes in a more timely manner. A mutually agreed upon pre-selected Arbitration Panel will offer a more timely way for all parties to get through the hearing process;
- Enhanced contract language to include that the Employer give forty (40) hours of initial formal training to all new employees.
Scientific and Engineering Unit
- Kept PDF funding at $125,000 beginning 10/1/2012.
- Kept meal reimbursement without an overnight stay.
Technical Unit
- Kept Schedule II for MDOT members.
- Kept meal reimbursement without an overnight stay.
- Kept ability to be eligible for overtime payment for hours worked in excess of 8 hours per day.
A complete listing of unit specific agreements will be available on the website or member meetings.
State Contract Ballot, Fact Sheet and Background Information
Our three SEIU Local 517M Bargaining Teams, representing members in our Human Services Support, Scientific and Engineering, Technical bargaining units are pleased to report that we have reached a Tentative Agreement with the Office of the State Employer (OSE) for a new two year contract covering our state employee members. View Summary Here
OSE is the official representative of the Governor’s office for all contract negotiations. However, it is important to note that Governor Snyder and other key members of his administration also were directly involved in the final efforts for reaching a voluntary agreement with SEIU Local 517M and the other four unions in the Coalition of State Employee Unions.
Formal negotiations, which started in August, were long and often contentious. “We are all proud that our team spoke with passion, specificity, and boldness on behalf of all our membership” said SEIU Local 517M President Bill Ruhf. “We now present to you an offer worthy of your consideration and approval.” In addition, our Coalition was proud to utilize recognized experts in both health insurance plans as well as state budgeting during this year’s negotiations.
First, the Coalition made it clear from the very start that a process for addressing the key concepts of our New Solutions for Michigan Report would have to be recognized in any new Contract. These key elements are: management to staffing ratios; privatization; and direct membership involvement in developing workplace efficiencies. (A complete copy of this Report can be viewed at here.)
Second, the Coalition made it clear from the start that our membership would not re-open our current Contracts to address the Governor’s demand for over $200 million in “new concessions” from state employees before negotiating successor Contracts. (Ultimately, the Governor chose to extract part of these concessions through furlough days and the abolishment of unfilled positions)
We are very proud that our five Union Coalition held strong on both of these principles.
This new Contract commences January 1, 2012 for most traditional non-economic issues and October 1, 2012 for economic issues such as wages and insurance plans. While reviewing the enclosed information, it is important to note the effective dates for all items.
The enclosed information and fact sheets compare several of the original bargaining proposals from OSE. Their formal “Impasse” position in mid-October will be discussed in the member meetings. As you will note, in the end, the Coalition of Unions was successful in moving the state off most of the worst of these proposals while protecting almost all of our bargaining unit specific benefits.
We encourage all of our members to closely review the enclosed information, and also make a special effort to attend at least one of the several Contract Information Meetings that we will be scheduling throughout the state in the next three weeks to discuss the terms of this proposed Contract.
In the final analysis, this Contract belongs to you, the SEIU Local 517M membership. As in all previous contract ratification meetings, our SEIU leadership and staff will do our very best to present all the facts in an open and unbiased manner and answer any questions you might have about the bargaining process or the particulars of any contract proposal.
WE ENCOURAGE ALL ELIGIBLE SEIU VOTING MEMBERS TO REVIEW ALL OF THE INFORMATION AND THEN EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE ON THIS NEW PROPOSED CONTRACT.
Thank you,
The SEIU Local 517M Bargaining Team Members
Voting
Electronic ballots are now available until December 1, 2011. Paper ballots may be requested at that time. Paper ballots are available until Thursday, November 17th. Votes will be counted on Thursday, December 1, 2011. VOTE NOW
Member Meetings
A listing of member meetings to discuss the proposed agreement will be on the SEIU Local 517M can be found here.
Tentative Contract Agreement Reached With State
Union Coalition Wins Groundbreaking Provisions On Reform Proposals
A voluntary tentative agreement that includes a commitment that could lead to the potential implementation of innovative new reforms sought by workers was reached on contracts covering 35,000 state employees, the Coalition of State Employee Unions announced today.
“Both sides worked hard to reach an agreement that recognizes the value of state employees who work on the front lines every day for Michigan’s citizens and the need for shared sacrifice as the state addresses its budgetary challenges,” said Cindy Estrada, International Vice President of the UAW. “The tentative agreement contains groundbreaking provisions that require the parties to work together on new solutions to address long-standing structural operational inefficiencies and identify health care reforms that could save the state hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Estrada is chief spokesperson for the International UAW, UAW Local 6000, SEIU Local 517M, AFSCME Council 25, Michigan Corrections Organization and Michigan State
Employees Association. The unions comprise the historic coalition that coordinated bargaining with the state and spoke with one voice during negotiations. The two sides have been bargaining since July. Employees represented by coalition unions work throughout the state as social service workers, highway engineers, corrections officers, safety inspectors, electricians, resident care aides, food service leaders and others providing vital services for the citizens of Michigan.
The parties have agreed to examine the proposals contained in the report called New Solutions for Michigan which recommends the state and its employees collaborate to address structural changes and create efficiencies that will enable state employees to better serve the citizens of Michigan.
Individual coalition unions will now begin the membership ratification process on the tentative agreement, which will conclude within the next few weeks. The ratified agreements are subject to approval by the Michigan Civil Service Commission. More information on the specifics and ratification process for the three SEIU Local 517M units will be coming shortly.
Taylor Coat Drive
October 22, 2011, the 26M Division of Local 517M in conjunction with Sax Pharmacy and Gift Shop hosted a hugely successful “SPOOKTACULAR” coat drive in the parking lot of Sax. Hundreds of new and gently used coats and other outer wear where collected along with $700.00 in donations to purchase coats in the sizes needed to fill any shortage we see.
The Taylor School District’s Robotics team volunteered their time to help and everyone had a great time.
We have a very generous community despite the economy. Now students in need in our district will be given the opportunity to come to the 26M Union Hall the week of November 14, be fitted with a winter coat and leave knowing that 26M truly does “Care for Your Kids”
We want to send a big “THANK YOU” to everyone involved and particularly to Sax, without them this would not have been possible.
The team pictured with Board Member Mrs. Debra Stellinni, Driver Matt Mead, President Kathie Fields, Matt Mead and Debbie Church manager of Sax Pharmacy
Bargaining Update 10/21/2011
I am very sorry to report that, as of late yesterday afternoon, SEIU Local 517M and the other four state employee unions were unable to reach a voluntary agreement for new contract terms with the Office of the State Employer for almost 35,000 state employees.
“Today, as required under Michigan Civil Service Commission rules, we filed for impasse proceedings in connection with collective bargaining with the state on behalf of 35,000 state workers. We will, however, continue to negotiate with the state in an effort to reach a voluntary agreement on a new contract.” said Cindy Estrada, Chief Spokesperson for the Coalition of State Employee Unions.
The unions feel that our New Solutions approach to bargaining this year provided an opportunity to identify new approaches to developing workplace efficiencies that would address the state’s continuous budget problems as well as direct more resources to front line services.
Although the Governor has expressed a real interest in parts of our New Solutions approach, to date, we have been unable to reach agreement on terms for a new collective bargaining agreement that we feel our members could ratify.
We have advised the Governor that we remain committed to open and honest conversations that will lead to a mutually beneficial and fair contract for members as well as the general public we serve.
Executive Board Changes
There were many changes in board members at the SEIU Local 517M Executive Board meeting on October 19, 2011.
Andy Johnson, Divisional Vice President for Region 1 was appointed to fill the vacancy at Local 517M Secretary/Treasurer. He will be filling the remainder of the term of the retiring Secretary/Treasurer Lynda Roberts. At the meeting, Lynda was presented with a plaque in appreciation for her work with Local 517M and the Taylor Schools bargaining unit.
There were also two vacancies in the Scientific and Engineering unit. Bryan Grochowski was appointed to fill out the remainder of the term of Bill Land who left state employment. Steve Weis was recently appointed to replace Amy Lipset as Unit Secretary. Lipset left the position of Unit Secretary to succeed Karl Hausler as Divisional Vice President when he retired earlier this year.
Standing L-R: President Bill Ruhf, Bryan Grochowski, Steve Weis
- L-R: Executive Vice President Phil Thompson, President Bill Ruhf, present outgoing Secretary/Treasurer Lynda Roberts with her plaque of appreciation.
SEIU to Hold Tele-Town Hall Meetings
SEIU International will be holding member tele-town halls next week regarding the 2012 pro-worker agenda and presidential endorsement process.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
6pm — East Coast call hosted by President Mary Kay Henry
The goal of the calls is to create a national space to report to members from all geographies and sectors on our plan to win a pro-worker agenda, beginning with our presidential endorsement, climate change and electoral work in 2011 / 12. We will report out from conversations happening in Local Union meetings and on worksites, our long term work to engage communities of color, republican advisory committee efforts, and member responses to our email and text message surveys.
More information on how you can join the conversation will be coming shortly.